1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to door hinge covers. In particular, the present invention relates to door hinge covers which protect door hinges during painting.
2. Description of the Related Art
When painters paint a door and the surrounding doorframe, several methods exist for preventing the door hinges from being accidentally painted. Protecting the hinge plates and hinge cylinder from paint is difficult due to the position of the hinges and their method of attachment to the door and doorframe. The painter can paint the door before it is hung or remove the door from the door hinges. As it is not commonly possible to paint the door before it is hung and very time consuming to remove the door, paint it, wait for it to dry and then rehang the door, these are not desirable solutions. Another option is to use masking tape to cover the door hinges. Again, this is very time consuming, as masking tape does not properly fit. Additionally, the adhesive backing can damage or dirty the door hinge. Further, masking tape is not reusable. As described below, several other methods exist for protecting door hinges during the painting process.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,269 shows a set of protective masks for protecting room and door hardware during the painting process. The set includes masks for door hinges, doorknobs, deadbolts, outlets and switches. The masks are plastic and attach using a pressure fit rather than by means of magnets.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,240 shows a hinge mask for protecting half of a hinge on an unhung door from paint damage. The device cannot be used on a hanging door.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,031 shows a mask for a door hinge. This device includes an inflexible hinge cylinder cover which protects the top and sides of the hinge cylinder but does not protect the bottom surface. Furthermore, the design of this device does not allow the door to be opened during the painting process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,191 shows a hinge cover for protecting the hinge plates during painting. This device uses adhesive to attach to the hinge plates and, thus is not reusable. Furthermore, no protection for the hinge cylinder is provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,409 shows a general mask for painting. It consists of an elastic sheet which is connected to the item to be masked. While it can be used to protect the hinge cylinder, it cannot be used to protect the hinge plates.
Therefore, there has been and continues to be a need for a reusable, easy-to-use, and practical door hinge mask for use during painting.